1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to network computing and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for aggregating notices and alerts (hereinafter referred to as alerts) into an aggregate machine readable feed.
2. Description of the Related Art
In today's environment, users of computers, mobile phones, or other such devices are provided information from a variety of sources. Those information sources include SMS alerts, email notifications, and information from special alert areas on web sites. Examples of the type information include a user receiving billing notices, newly vested stock options, updates concerning frequent flyer miles, and the like. When arriving as emails, the information may be lost in a sea of other emails. Tracking and screening this heavy influx of information is compounded by the fact that important notifications may occur on special areas of web sites such as online brokerage, bank, credit card, or frequent flier sites. In many instances, users have to remember to log into the various web sites to check for important alerts requiring action (frequently, a user can configure such sites to send alerts as emails). Hence, users have to sort through the vastly varying contexts from email to email taking note of important alerts while fending off spam. Obviously, there can be significant consequences if a user does not pay a bill, miss an opportunity to sell newly vested stock options, or lose expiring frequent flier rewards. Such oversights could easily occur without an efficient method of screening the information that users deal with on a daily basis.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for an efficient method and apparatus for aggregating notices and alerts that a user receives from various information sources and supplying the notices and alerts as an aggregate machine readable feed.